Funk Soul Nation bring Golden Teacher to the HiFi basement

It’s hard to categorise the sound of Golden Teacher, and that’s part of what makes them so special. A much needed breath of fresh air in the Ableton-saturated world of live dance music, the Glasgow-based outfit are as engaging as they are freakily disorientating, providing a melting pot for art-rock, punk, funk, disco, and anything else you can dance to in an uncontrolled and erratic manner. A fizzing frenzy of live drums and modulated noise, the six piece offer a unique take on the gig venue/club crossover, with the band’s two vocalists leaping between soulful melodies and abstract splutterings as they lead the assault from the front, darting around the stage in a blur of flailing limbs and bouncing hair. With manic disregard for what should work, the band instead seek to explore what could, a desire for creativity which rises from far-reaching tastes and many years of record collecting alongside their Optimo peers. This time turning their attention to playing a selection of their intriguing records with a spell behind the decks, Golden Teacher should transform the intimate HiFi basement as they infiltrate minds and energise feet on April 1st.

The big question is: who do you get to match a group as stubbornly unique as Golden Teacher? Funk Soul Nation have turned to Leeds’ own Kirk Barley aka Bambooman, the experimental funk electrician who plies his trade over each and every genre that tickles his fancy, threading them together with bumping beats and glitched out vocals to complete his fun-first live shows. The three-time releaser on Sonic Router was recently approached by Health to provide a mini LP for British Art Show ‘s Auditory Learning project, receiving a bank of samples snatched from 1962 chart hits to use as the basis of a live set. So impressive were the results that they were followed by a release, demonstrating Barley’s abundance of talent for making dancefloor beauties with the most surprising of resources. He’ll be joined by fellow Health affiliate Sloe Lorris as FSN’s complement to the exciting headliners.

A unique start to the new month, it’s yet another in a long line of quality nights at HiFi. You’ll be the one playing the April Fool if you miss it.